FED UP: Myrtleford solar installer Matt Hines said the state government’s solar rebate scheme is hurting his business, after the government placed a monthly cap on the number of rebates available.
PHOTO: Struan Jones

LOCAL solar installers in the Alpine Shire have expressed dismay at what they see as the Victorian Government’s mismanagement of the solar rebate scheme.

Last Thursday in Melbourne solar installers from across the state rallied on the steps of Parliament to protest the government’s cap of 3333 rebates on solar systems a month, a restriction they say has put many businesses to the wall.

The government’s Solar Homes scheme was an election promise last year announced by Premier Daniel Andrews and Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio, with a plan to install solar energy systems on 650,000 homes across the state.

Following the election, eligible home owners keen to get a $2225 rebate flooded the market and installations state-wide jumped from roughly 3000 a month to 7000.